Bottle stopper and process for producing the same



Nov. 9', 1926.

R. A. BIRD BOTTLE STOPPER AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME Filed Feb. 11, 1925 INVENTOR. M I: s'.

ATTORNEY. 7

' entirely,.as may be deemed advisable.

Patented Nov. 9, 1926..

lTED STATES RICHARD A. BIRD, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

BOTTLE STOPPER AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME.

Application filed February 11, 1925. Serial No. 8,390.

This invention relates to a process for producing bottle stoppers and to the stoppers themselves, and its object is to prov de a stopper which will be unobjectionable irom a medical stand point, which shall have a tab whereby it may be removed from the bottle, and which can be produced at 1noderate cost.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of this improved bottle stopper. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of sheet from which the stoppers have been severed. but not removed.

' Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The present stoppers, like others now on the market, are cut from a sheet 1 of pulp board, which, while ahomogeneous material, usually has a tendency to layer, so that it can be readily split. The sheet may be passed through a sewing machine, once, if the machine is of the multiple needle type, otherwise as often as is necessary to form the lines 2 of stitches of cotton or other fibrous thread. Or these stitches may be formed by hand. The sheet is then properly sheared, preferably by a cutting machine where the disks 3 are severed from the sheet 30 to form stoppers, and at the same time, the sheet is cut partway through to form the tongues or tabs l which are partially surrounded by these cuts 5. But this cutting may done by hand. These cuts are so posias tioned that the line of stitches 2 of each dish is the base or unsevered portion of the tab and that each dish is reinforced at this line to prevent it from splitting which prevents the tab from being torn out when the stopper is being removed from a bottle.

These sheets 1 may be printed before or after the sewing so that any desired insignia or words may appear upon the stoppers, and the sheets may be impregnated with paraliine on one or both sides or with similar Water-proofing material before the stoppers are severed, or the stoppers may be impregnated on their lower sides after they are severed, or the paraflining may be omitted In order to seal the holes made by the needle While running the stitches, the pulp board may be compressed at this line or the entire stopper may be compressed, which will usually prevent the passage of air or the liquid contents of the bottle. 7

I have found that when the stoppers are inserted to close bottles, that sufficient moisture is usually absorbed from the contents to cause the tabs 4: to lift out of the pockets in which they lie, the pulp board splitting to tree the tabs. The sewing being done with sanitary cotton thread, no metal can come in contact with the contents of the bottles.

The details of this process and of the stopper may be changed by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim 1-- 1. The process of forming bottle stoppers vhich consists in sewing a line or" stitches in a sheet of pulp board and then cutting the sheet to form stoppers in such a manner that the stitches run across each stopper, and at the same time so cutting the sheet that a portion of each stopper is partially surrounded by a cut which, extends a limited distance through the stopper so as to produce a lifting tab whose unsevered edge is attached to the body of the stopper by means of said stitches.

2. The process of forming bottle stoppers which consists in sewing a line of stitches in sheet of pulp board, then compressing the pulp-board to closethe holes made by the needle, and then cutting the sheet to term stoppers in such a manner that the stitches run across each stopper, and at the same time so cutting the sheet that a portion o1 each stopper is partially surrounded by a out which extends a limited distance through the stopper so as to produce a lifting tab whose unsevered edge is attached to the body of the stopper by means of said stitches.

3. A bottle stopper, cut from a blank having a line of stitches therein ot suliicient length to produce anchoring means for a. plurality of tabs, saidstopper having a tab portion cut therefrom and a line of stitching at the base thereof, said line of stitching constituting the chord of a circle.

RICHARD A. BIRD. 

